480 posts categorized "Med-Ethics"

Avi Schick, the frequently dishonest haredi political insider, has written a very deceptive article on NYC's deal with haredim on metzitzah b'peh, (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by most haredi mohels after cutting off a baby's foreskin. That deal...

"There is a perception that people with low self-esteem tend to be more negative and complain a lot more. While that may be the case in some social situations, our study suggests that in romantic relationships, the partner with low...

Researchers led by Gideon Lack, M.D., of King's College London, designed a study called Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP), based on observations that Israeli children have lower rates of peanut allergy compared to Jewish children of similar ancestry residing...

Under the new deal with haredim, de Blasio administration officials said it is unlikely New York City would release the name of any mohel who was banned after testing positive for infecting an infant with herpes – meaning Bill de...

The de Blasio administration's rationale for the new policy, which its own health department says could put infants at risk, is that this is the only way it can receive cooperation from the community. In the two-plus years since the...

Rabbi Moshe Elefant, COO of the Orthodox Union’s kosher certification agency, said he has held “preliminary discussions” with several companies interested in obtaining a kosher seal of approval for medical marijuana. The Forward reports: …Rabbi Moshe Elefant, COO of the...

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Aryeh Stern complained that the city plowed streets on Shabbat – even though plowing was necessary (despite claims to the contrary) to allow emergency vehicles to safely pass. Yeshiva World reports: Jerusalem Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi...

A US nonprofit founded to research and implement regenerative medical therapies for circumcised males, Foregen, claims to be close to developing a method that will allow men’s foreskins to regenerate – much like a salamander is able to re-grow a...

The administration of New York City’s hapless mayor, Bill de Blasio, wants to scrap the city’s informed consent forms mohels who do metzitzah b’peh (MBP, direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking) after cutting off the baby’s foreskin, and replace the written informed consent...

"…Therefore, the consensus of major poskim (halachic decisors) supports the vaccination of children to protect them from disease, to eradicate illness from the larger community through so-called herd immunity, and thus to protect others who may be vulnerable. The vaccination...

SuperAgers, aged 80 and above, have distinctly different looking brains than those of normal older people, according to new Northwestern Medicine® research that is beginning to reveal why the memories of these cognitively elite elders don’t suffer the usual ravages...

All schoolchildren must be immunized against measles in New York, unless they have a religious or medical exemption. Vaccination compliance is generally quite high — New York City estimates that on average the immunization rate is 97 percent — but...

A Williamsburg Hatzolah ambulance with its lights flashing and siren wailing could not get through a Williamsburg, Brooklyn street because it was blocked with double parked hasidic yeshiva school buses. [Via: Yeshiva World.]

"Alone in my living room, I took three steps backward, then three steps forward in preparation for the Shmoneh Esrei, part of the afternoon prayer service. As I began to recite the first blessing, an image came to mind, unbidden:...

A Rockland community member who has been involved with the issue said the two mohels did test positive for the virus. They both continue to perform MBP. “They are continuing to practice and use whatever safety practices they were using...

According to the lawsuit, doctors ignored the concerns of the acting anesthesiologist, who urged caution after noticing “incredible edema,” or swelling, in Rivers’ throat. Anesthesiologist Renuka Bankulla suggested taking an internal picture to gauge how bad the swelling was. “You’re...

At the Ramaz School, a modern Orthodox day school in Manhattan, principal Rabbi Haskel Lookstein issued a ruling that vaccinations are considered “p’kuach nefesh,” a Jewish legal standard under which religious requirements are suspended to protect human life. “It’s a...

…“She’d just found out what and where her clitoris is, after her third child,” Marcus said. “She’d told her OB-GYN that she was having pain,” and during their conversation he informed her about her anatomy. Merely having this basic knowledge...

According to a new study, the traditional practice of positioning women on their side with hips tilted at 15 degrees during labor does not effectively reduce compression of a large vein located near the abdominal area that returns blood to...

The shigella bacterium outbreak that started in Williamsburg and Borough Park, Brooklyn has now spead to Monsey, Spring Valley and other Rockland County haredi communities. There are at least 80 known cases in Brooklyn and at least another 66 in...

Shigella, an infection that strikes the digestive tract, is near-epidemic in hasidic Williamsburg and Borough Park. Symptoms of the illness include severe diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever. Very severe shigella infections can cause convulsions and kidney failure. The infection appears...

A. Romi Cohn, an Orthodox Jew who is the head of the American Board of Ritual Circumcision and estimates he has conducted about 25,000 circumcisions in his lifetime, said he had never used the consent form. He added that he...

A new study has found that children who received expanded Medicaid benefits in the 1980s and 1990s contributed more to the U.S. tax system as adults. They also were more likely to attend college and less likely to die prematurely...

The protocol is essentially the protocol haredi leaders broke in New York City a decade ago. It relies heavily on cooperation from and truth-telling by haredi leaders who have repeatedly promoted lies about the safety of MBP. It also relies...

The study of more than 340,000 boys in Denmark found that circumcision raised the overall chances of an autism spectrum disorder before the age of 10 by 46 per cent. But if circumcision took place before the age of five...

Dr. Aaron Glatt does not want you to know the truth about the dangers of metzitzah b'peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding penis sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off the baby's foreskin. Above: Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt The Forward...

The de Blasio administration will soon announce a new policy on metzitzah b'peh (MBP, the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done primarily by hasidic mohels after cutting of the the baby's foreskin), a spokesperson for the NYC mayor said this afternoon. Above:...

Researchers have now found that people born during times of high solar activity died about five years earlier than people born in periods of solar silence. Solar activity at birth predicted infant survival and women's fertility in historical Norway Gine...

"It's unthinkable that an Israeli hospital decides not to treat people who do not live their life according to the halakha. Providing medical care cannot depend on the way people choose to live, and Laniado's conduct is a serious case...

Noted psychologist Walter Mischel, who fled the Nazi occupation of Austria with his Jewish family as young boy, is the author of “The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control.” He tells the PBS Newshour how to turn your resolutions to do good...

MK Rabbi Yaakov Litzman did not allow researchers at either of Israel's two dental schools to conduct objective research to see if the program, meant to benefit primarily poor haredi kids, actually improved children’s dental health. Above: MK Rabbi Yaakov...

Another baby has been infected with neonatal herpes transmitted to him through metzitzah b’peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by many haredi mohels after removing the baby’s foreskin. Above: a Chabad mohel does MBP last fall in Crown Heights...

Levy Izhak Rosenbaum, the first person in the US to ever be convicted of profiting from the illegal sale of human organs, has been released from prison. Above: Levy Izhak Rosenbaum Haredi Organ Trafficker Released From Prison, Will Not Be...

Ibuprofen (Advil, etc.), a common over-the-counter drug that tackles pain and fever may also hold keys to a longer, healthier life, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist. Regular doses of ibuprofen extended the lifespan of multiple species, according...

Late clamping of the umbilical cord increases the anti-oxidant capacity of mature newborns, and the moderation of inflammatory effects in the case of those born from induced labor. 2-Minute Delay In Cutting Umbilical Cord Leads To Better Development Of Newborns...

Shlomo Rechnitz is the largest nursing-home owner in California with about 75 facilities. Rechnitz's homes have been the target of more complaints and federal deficiencies per bed than most other large chains in California, and Rechnitz sets up his corporate...

Babies’ hearing is checked for free in hospitals soon after being born. Parents are strongly encouraged to bring their babies in for a second free hearing test a few days after discharge, as well, a second test which is often...

The Meuhedet Health Fund (an HMO) refused to provide medical care for the baby the couple had refused to abort, claiming that HMO doctors warned the couple the child would be born paralyzed and had urged them to abort. nstead,...

“The main advantage of our vaccine platform over the others in clinical testing is the long-lasting protection after a single inhaled dose. This is important since the longevity of other vaccines for Ebola that are currently being evaluated is not...

Health and transplant experts decided today to stop all organ transplants at Hadassah University Hospital for the month of November after hospital administrators cut the budget for the transplantation unit so much that enraged top doctors warned it compromised patient...

"…Therefore, in an extremely pressing situation, such as when the fetus suffers from Tay-Sachs or other severe defects, or the fetus is known to be a mamzer, or continuing the pregnancy could cause blindness or deafness to the mother [or...

The St Vincent's Hospital Heart Lung Transplant Unit has carried out the world's first successful distant procurement of hearts donated after circulatory death. These hearts were subsequently resuscitated and then successfully transplanted into patients with end-stage heart failure. And this...

Metzitzah b' peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis-sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off the baby's foreskin is a dangerous practice that can transmit disease, like Herpes Simplex 1. to the infants. Because neonates have very immature immune systems, herpes...

Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz is a major haredi philanthropist. He is also a son-in-law of haredi Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, the rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaas who has been accused of repeatedly protecting haredi pedophiles. Belsky is also allegedly linked to in...

Hadassah tried to teach Orthodox rabbis the science of brain stem death and organ donation so they would better know how to advise families, and a haredi rabbi used his muscle – much of which is based on previous violent...

A new study conducted by researchers from the Soroka University Medical Center and Ben Gurion University of the Negev shows that women in the later stages of pregnancy who abstain from food and liquids for 25 hours – the Yom...

A growing number of haredim, including American haredi #2 Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetzky, oppose vaccines. Their opposition, and the opposition of various new age hippie groups and others, endangers the lives of millions of others. This video will explain why: How...

Avi Schick, a former deputy attorney general of New York State, has published a deceptive op-ed about metzitzah b' peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis-sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off a baby's foreskin. How many babies must be killed...

"Diets that are not undertaken on the doctor's orders are not desirable on the festivals or Shabbat. These dates are designed to affect a spiritual transcendence through physical relaxation and satiety.…It is a mitzvah [Torah commandment] to spoil ourselves with...